A manned flying drone that's a true hashtag Pinoy-pride entry

Remember when Philippines got its first sight of the first supercar bearing the Philippine flag? The Aurelio, since then on, became proof that the local market can keep up with technology; if only there is enough support for it. It was truly groundbreaking at that time but wait till you hear this; we now have our very first flying car – a passenger drone to be more specific.

The report came from Reuters, which published a video of what seemed to be an eight-legged machine flying out of a warehouse in Batangas. According to the international news publication website, the flying car breakthrough, dubbed as the ‘Koncepto Milenya’ was a brainchild of former dancer and camera operator Kyxz Mendiola.

Mendiola, who happened to be a former member of the 2008 World Hip Hop Champion group Philippine All-Stars, has been fond of aerial drones since he stepped off the dance floor. He uses these in-line with his skill with camera operating, and look where it got him now. A life-size flying drone that can be piloted definitely sounds like the beginning of something bigger, and Mendiola has said that it was worth everything he had invested in it.

The Koncepto Milenya can soar up to 20 feet in the air with speed of up to 60 km/h. Although performance is a great way to envision the “flying sports car” concept, efficiency is also a factor. Unfortunately, the initial flight took only a bit more than 10 minutes until it had to head back to land at the warehouse. Efficiency needs improvement, that’s for sure, but it’s already a positive start for Mendiola and his creation.

Apparently, the piloted drone utilizes a ‘multicopter’ technology, similar to what a regular-sized drone has. This is powered by six lithium-ion batteries, which gives just enough sense as to how long the thing can only last. If we’d want this thing to have a range of at least 10 kilometers per single charge, Mendiola needs to have his hands on more advanced batteries in the market. To bring your scope back to reality, however, electric batteries aren’t quite spotlight-worthy in the Philippines yet.

The Koncepto Milenyo features a cocoon-like, one-man-only cockpit where the eight arms are attached. It has 16 motors with equivalent amounts of computers, which Mendiola claims to make his invention still drivable even when one or two of the motors malfunction. Each arm houses two propellers, one at the tip of the arm and one in the mid-section. This manned drone is controllable via a portable radio frequency controller and could carry as much as 100 kg.

We’re with Mendiola when he said this thing has so much potential. We mean, it has a lot of areas that need improvements but, at least, there is already something to begin with. Thankfully, some company saw what it could fully offer once perfected and has already partnered with Mendiola. The thing is, the support and funding isn’t from a local backer but an Australian.

Star8, an Australia-based company wants to speed up the Koncepto Milenyo’s development with a vision in mind – marketing it in Australia, Europe, and Hong Kong, according to Reuters. Star8 discovered Mendiola’s invention through a video that went viral on social media. Hashtag Pinoy-pride.